Insert MIA Agent Here
by Crazyloon99
Summary: ACMSES Fic: Louise decides that the time is right to deal with her foe once and for all... but when she turns up MIA, will the society be able to find her in time?
1. In the Line of Duty

Warhammer and all canon characters are owned by Games Workshop. If you are not following the stories of the Anti-Cliché and Mary-Sue Eliminiation Society, this will probably make zero sense. I suggest you start at the very beginning.

A/N: Chapter One takes place mere days before Adrian's return. I'll post Chapter 2 (already written) in a few days.

**Chapter 1: In the Line of Duty**

The dust motes drifted in the air, illuminated by the last rays of the day's sun as it sank beneath the trees. Slowly people moved around the room lighting sconces on the wall in preparation for the night's festivities. The only things not in high motion were two figures sitting at a long table in the darkest section of the hall. None of the other people took the slightest notice of their presence, and soon, as the motes shifted from shimmering white to lustrous gold, the shadows in the hall moved to small diminishing portions against the walls. The Elven decor was notable in the swirls and intricate patterns that adorned everything, from the simplest metalwork, to the most elaborate fabric.

As the hall slowly emptied, the two figures, still unmoving, were joined by a third. This figure was clad in black, a hooded cloak concealing the face. It leaned towards the pair, engaging them in conversation.

"Do you understand..." the third figure, now seated at the head of the table, was female, "... that this is of the utmost importance?"

The two figures nodded as the female threw a roll of parchment onto the table. It was a map, a map of their homeland of Avalorn. The female looked up at the pair for the first time.

"My Lords, do not under estimate the danger that this woman could bring to you and to the Everqueen herself. She is allied with the forces of chaos."

The two gentlemen murmured. It was clear from their expressions that the forces of chaos were not tolerated in the halls of the Everqueen.

"Does she work with the Druchii?" the larger of the two men asked,

The woman shook her head. The hood, so carefully balanced on her hair, began to slip. Pale hands shot out from beneath the cloak to pull it back into place. The movement exposed a long medium-brown plait laid expertly across the lady's shoulder.

"We all have a part to play into this drama, my Lords. But each of us must play their role to perfection; else the final act will not be worthy of the stage on which it is to be performed."

The Elven Lords nodded.

"Prince Tyrion," the female turned to the bulkier of the two, "if all goes as planned, you will find the woman on the outskirts of Avelorn." The prince nodded.

"Will she be carrying weapons?" it was the one question he had been longing to ask from the very mention of Senlui's plans.

"Likely. She will know who awaits her, but is too cowardly to come unarmed."

"Senlui?" the gaunt elf sat opposite the golden-haired Prince Tyrion spoke. His entire aura was utterly different from his brother's. Where Tyrion was fair, well-built and clearly a seasoned warrior, his brother, Teclis, was sallow-skinned, weak, but containing a hidden magical strength to rival any.

The woman looked around. It was clear on what the two princes could see of her face that she had great respect for Teclis, despite his outwardly weak appearance.

"Yes, my Lord Teclis..."

"My part in this," he gestured with his hands, "performance..."

"Ah yes... after your brother has performed his role, you will have the opportunity to prove to those weaklings that you are the most powerful mage that has ever existed."

Teclis smiled. He didn't yet know what Senlui was planning, but he trusted her well enough. Both princes trusted Senlui, they couldn't help but trust her. She had been made ward of the Everqueen upon her first arrival, and had defended Ulthuan ever since.

"She will no doubt be arriving soon, so I suggest... my Lords... that we conclude this meeting for this evening. There are festivities to be had, and I know the Everqueen herself has asked for you both to attend."

Both princes bid farewell to their companion, and left her to her musings. Once the two elves had left, Senlui raised her pale hands to her hood, and slowly lowered it.

Merle rested her elbows on the table, deep in thought. Everything was going perfectly for now, and if the two princes performed their roles, she would soon be able to take her revenge on the traitorous little wench Mirani...

OOO

Louise tapped the controls in the Monitor Room. She was on duty, and browsing through the numerous fandoms in search for any Sue-like activity that wasn't canon. She knew there was the occasional fandom where the canon characters were so similar to Sues that it was almost impossible to find a non-canon infiltrator. Tash has told her that these were usually black-listed fandoms, and if she detected a Sue in one of those, she should inform one of the senior agents.

Louise had no problems obeying this order, but for one Sue. Merle had been the bane of her life since she had joined the Society, and whilst they now had Robert locked securely in their basement, she knew that Merle was not going to rest. She was now more dangerous than ever.

If Merle appeared in a black-listed fandom, she would take all the punishment that Tash or the other senior agents could throw at her upon her return. Merle was her problem; one that Louise felt it was her duty to solve.

Her eyes roved over the various screens. Currently they were showing her ten different fandoms. She recognised some, but others were out of her general knowledge bank. She watched the glimpses into the Harry Potter, Stargate, Star Wars, Warhammer and Lord of the Rings. All screens looked calm, and perfectly normal...

Louise's eyes were drawn to the view of the Warhammer Fantasy fandom. She knew Merle had an interest in this fandom, but even to the untrained eye, the scene displayed looked wrong. She froze, hands hovering over the ivory tiles.

"Oh for the love of all that's holy!" she cursed. As she watched, Louise saw a figure march onto the screen. She was covered from head to foot in a black cloak, but it was impossible not to know who that was.

"Merle!" Louise hissed under her breath. A few taps of the keyboard brought the particular fandom full screen. "Warhammer Fantasy... how foolish of me to assume you wouldn't return to your old haunt. What have you done to the fandom this time?"

She didn't wait for the computer to inform her of exactly what Merle's infiltration had caused. She was a little grateful that it wasn't a black-listed fandom; she hadn't really wanted to face Tash's wrath. Louise launched herself from the office chair, and headed for the Monitor Room door. She knew that, if she wanted to face Merle alone, she would have to avoid her friends and fellow agents. Thanking the Gods that all the American agents were currently asleep, she slipped out of the room and headed for her office.

She made it there unnoticed, seeing no one en route, until she arrived outside the door.

"Lou..." came a weak voice from the door beside her. Alice staggered out, her arm still in the sling that Phoenixia had given her. Louise was mildly glad that her friend no longer needed to move about with a drip-stand. She smiled briefly at her. "Do you fancy coming to play Mah-jongg? We can go and find Tash and Dave..."

Why did she have to be here, right now? Louise was desperate to get moving, but didn't want to push her friend away, not in her current condition. Even though she had been terrified for her friend's life on many occasions over the last two weeks, Louise was mildly grateful that Alice had been injured in her latest mission. It meant there was no chance of her demanding to go with her.

"I can't, dumpling, I'm sorry." Louise gave her friend a quick hug, careful not to further exacerbate her injury. Her mind raced for a plausible excuse. "I'm going back to Real Life. I need a bit of a breather from all this craziness for a while. I'll be back at the weekend."

"Okay..." Louise hated to see the sadness in her friend's face. For a second, she was seriously tempted to stay behind, and ignore the fact that Merle was causing havoc, but no... duty called, and this Sue was her problem. She bade her friend farewell, and slipped into the office.

Once inside, Louise collected her pistol, not caring for historical inaccuracies this time. She had demanded that in the Legacy of Kain fandom, and all that had happened was that Alice had been beaten within an inch of her life.

She was out of her office again in less than five minutes, and hurtling along the corridor towards the Automatic Tailorisation Machine that Alice had found, and had proved so useful in subsequent missions.

As she approached a corner in the Library, she heard a door open. Louise threw herself into one of the many side rooms. A quick glance told her it was the History of Espionage section. She peered around the door, and saw Rhia and Cristoph appear from inside the opposite room. Both agents had huge grins on their faces, accompanied by flushed looks and slightly mussed hair and clothes.

She watched them wander down towards the nearest kitchen before continuing round the corner and up the stairs into the costume section. She wasn't sure whether she would need the ATM, but was prepared to give it a shot.

Warhammer and particularly this branch of it was, Louise knew, high fantasy. She would likely encounter elves and potentially other races too. Appearing human wouldn't be a problem, but she needed a costume...

Louise ran her hand along the many versions of cloaks and woodland costumes, before selecting one that she hoped would do. She would have taken a chance with the ATM, but having never used it without Alice's guiding hand, she wasn't prepared to risk a wardrobe malfunction now.

She pulled herself into the muted-green outfit, and fastened the woollen cloak around her shoulders. Looking in the mirror, she concluded that it was unlikely that she could have done much better. She should blend into the woodland well enough.

As she descended the steps from the costume area, she wondered whether the Library had an armoury. Her pistol was all well and good, but what she really needed at her side was a blade, even a small dagger would do. She knew Merle well enough to know that she was not going to play fair, and if the enemy was going to break all the rules, then she would too.

She wandered around the corridors, hiding from the patrolling British agents. She encountered Tash and Valerie conversing in a dark corner, so she took the long route around them. She spotted a sleepy Jess on one of the couches in a main atrium that she had never been to before. Tip-toeing around them all, she finally found her way to the armoury.

Selecting a small dagger, and a scabbard to hang at her waist, she made her way back to the Monitor Room. She took a second to collect her communicator and a handful of prohibitors. She had forgotten her communicator on her first solo mission, and vowed never to be without it again.

"Well... here goes nothing..." Louise pulled her hood up, raised the plothole generator to eye level and squeezed the trigger.

OOO

Louise landed in a very green space. Trees, taller than the giant Redwoods she had heard of in America, towered above her. The canopy was lush, and the occasional drop of water landed on the leaf littered floor below. It was not overly dense woodland, with plenty of space to walk between the giant trunks. On the ground, large ferns grew everywhere; providing adequate shelter should anyone pass by.

Louise knew a little about the fandom, and guessed that she had landed in Avalorn, in the High Elven lands of Ulthuan. This fact both pleased and alarmed her. The elves were a generally friendly race to humans, who lived in the Old World (equivalent to our Europe), and they were only hostile against Dwarves, Chaos and Dark Elves. The latter lived across the ocean, in the land of Naggaroth. Louise smiled subconsciously; she knew that Naggaroth was located in a similar place to the United States from her own world, and fought back a laugh at what the American agents would have made of this.

She was alarmed because this was exactly the place Merle was most comfortable. As a self-insert gone wrong, she had no real home fandom, but if there had to be a place where she started, and where she felt at home, it would be here, in the Warhammer Fantasy land of Ulthuan; and more particularly in Avalorn, home of the Everqueen.

Despite being completely paranoid about getting lost, Louise set off in the direction she was facing. She knew that eventually, she would come across something that would help. She didn't particularly fancy encountering any of the canon characters. Merle would no doubt have some sway over them.

The ferns were fairly easy to walk through, and the dense underbrush softened her footfalls until even the elves would have had a problem tracking her. She pulled her cloak around her, and slipped into the green web of the Avalorn forest.

It was not long before Louise came across a path crossing her own. This one looked like it had been made for riders on horseback, and she checked each way before scurrying across it. Deciding that the path most likely led to a settlement, and therefore a greater chance at finding Merle, she turned and began to move parallel to the trackway.

She was right. After about an hour of slow moving, Louise came to the outskirts of a small village. She watched the elves going about their business. Nothing looked overly out of place, but this was only an outlying settlement, and any changes were most likely happening in the larger towns.

Moving around the edge of the village, Louise could see evidence of the Maiden Guard, the Everqueen's personal warriors. A number of them stood in conversation in the centre of the settlement, and the other elves were giving them a wide berth out of respect. She was surprised that they were not at the Everqueen's side, but maybe, Louise pondered, this was proof of the influence that Merle was exacting.

As she watched the Maiden Guard, there was a crunch of dried leaves in the forest behind her. She stiffened; her hand flying instantly to the dagger at her side. She was untrained in its use, but was not stupid, so knew the basics.

Deciding that it was safer to confront the potential attacker rather than allow them the luxury of creeping up behind her, she turned around with her dagger in her hand. The forest appeared deserted. It was quiet... too quiet.

A rustle of leaves, a snap of a twig, and a strong pair of hands seized Louise from behind. She spun around, determined to fight this attacker tooth and nail. A swing of her dagger told her that she had impacted flesh, and the following curse told her that her attacker was an elf.

"Let go of me!" Louise screamed as her dagger cut the elf's skin again. Turning within the grasp, she slashed out with her dagger, and there was a bloody gash across her attacker's cheek.

Despite her best efforts, Louise felt herself being dragged further into the forest, away from the potential assistance in the village.

"Get your hands off me!" she screamed with all her might, but it wasn't enough. As she felt herself dragged out of the ferns and onto a path, there was a swoosh, and a long blade found itself next to Louise's throat. She froze.

"There now," a male voice from somewhere behind her spoke. "She is exactly where Senlui told us she would be."

Louise's arms were restrained, and her dagger forced from her hand. She was spun around, her back pushed against the nearest tree, and she was finally able to get a good look at her attackers. A quiet gasp escaped her lips as she realised these elves were High Elves, and more than that...

"Prince Tyrion...?" she asked nervously,

"Do not speak, girl!" the rider dismounted, and removed his helm. He was fair and well-built; clearly a seasoned warrior. Louise knew that this was Prince Tyrion, fabled defender of Ulthuan and personal champion of the Everqueen herself. She swallowed hard.

"Bind her." Tyrion's words came with such finality that Louise couldn't help but wince.

"Please my Lord. I..."

Tyrion slapped Louise across the face as his soldiers bound her wrists together behind her. "The prisoner will not speak unless spoken to." With her hands now firmly tied, she was helpless. The elven soldiers looped a rope around one of the giant trees, and forcing Louise to sit, attached her to it as additional restraint.

"Please..." she tried pleading with one of the junior soldiers, but to no avail. "Please... there is a woman..." The soldier looked at her. "I'm correct, aren't I? She's human, with long brown hair, and is in the favour of the Everqueen..."

Tyrion seized the young soldier's uniform, hauling the unfortunate to his feet. "Senlui has ordered no communication with the prisoner."

"I bet she has..." Louise murmured under her breath.

Tyrion continued, "She is a worshipper of chaos, and as such will attempt to corrupt your minds..." the address was now being made to the entire assembled company. "You will NOT talk to her, nor allow her to talk to you. If you feel you are at risk of corruption, you have my permission to gag the prisoner."

Louise watched in horror from her leaf-litter prison. Tyrion's speech had condemned her in the eyes of the other elves, and as they went about their jobs, many of them gave her side long glances of fear and mistrust. She could hardly blame them. The influx of chaos into the world had been a thing of fear for many elves, especially here on Ulthuan where they suffered frequently from Dark Elf raiding parties.

Tyrion gave orders for the woods to be searched in case their prisoner had brought any others with her – Louise sighed, grateful that she had not thought to bring Alice with her. Whilst she was still feeling guilty that she had basically abandoned Alice to her fate in the Shadowleague fandom, she was thanking her infrequently lucky stars that Alice was currently back in the Library recuperating.

"My Lord..." Louise tried again, "I am no worshipper of chaos..."

"SILENCE!" Tyrion shouted.

"Please..." Fear was driving Louise recklessly onwards.

Tyrion seized a wad of material from a horse bag, along with a strip of fabric torn from Louise's own cloak, he roughly shoved the wad into her protesting mouth. Wrapping the fabric around her head, he gagged Louise. She struggled all she could, but in the end it was worthless.

Before long, the other elves returned and naturally reported that they had found no sign of any other infiltrator. Tyrion ordered Louise removed from the tree. The elves then procured a cart from the village, and forced Louise onto the back of it. Bound and gagged, Louise could do little to protest this. When she struggled, they hit her. When she tried to resist by going limp, they merely picked her up and placed her on the cart. Even on the cart, Louise fought; she kicked out at any elf that got too close.

Tyrion, now mounted back on his horse, was getting tired of his prisoner's resistance.

"If you resist any further, I will be forced to take greater measures..."

Louise didn't stop. She knew, or had a rough idea, who had ordered her capture, and didn't particularly fancy a meeting with her.

There was no communication, but the elves suddenly hauled the prostrate Louise into a sitting position. Tyrion brought his horse around to the back of the cart.

"I told you that things would get worse for you if you resisted. Now you leave me no choice." He turned to a young elf at his side. "Do it!" he ordered.

The young elf climbed into the back of the cart, and Louise stared at him with increasing fear. He laid a hand on her head, despite her protests, and slowly she felt her vision blur, and eventually the young elf placed the unconscious prisoner back down on the cart.

OOO

Louise came to still bound and gagged in a large hall. The sunlight slanted in at a shallow angle. She pondered how long she had been unconscious. The room was quiet. The only sounds she could hear were the faint splash of water falling from a height, and the gentle hum of birds and insects through an open window.

She looked around the hall, fearing who she might see. The room was lavishly decorated in greens and browns. A throne stood at one end, hung with drapes in what appeared an ornately patterned gold silk. Smaller chairs sat on either side. Both of these were equally garnished with elaborate silks, this time in a dark green. All three chairs were made of a dark wood, possibly something akin to mahogany from Louise's own world.

From where she had been dumped, Louise could not make out any engraving on the wood, but she knew enough of the fandom to know to whom the throne and small chairs belonged. Alarielle, Everqueen of the High Elves, ruled the land of Avalorn; the smaller chairs must therefore be occupied by Princes Tyrion and... Louise swallowed hard... and Teclis. She knew the backstory to the two princes in sufficient detail to know why they were held in such high esteem.

Tyrion was the guardian and personal champion of the Everqueen, whilst his brother was known across Ulthuan and the Old World as one of the finest mages in the civilised world.

Louise's musings were cut short by the sound of footsteps approaching on the flagstone floor. She glanced over, and regretted it instantly. Coming across the room, in regimented columns were two lines of High Elf soldiers. As the rank and file fanned out, they revealed a group of four people.

In the front, Louise recognised the contrasting forms of the two princes. Tyrion was dressed in full armour, his helm tucked under his arm and his sword in his other. The large wing adornments of the helmet caught the last of the sun's rays as he crossed the floor.

Beside him marched his brother. It was the first time Louise had laid eyes upon the fabled mage of the White Tower. Like his brother, Teclis was dressed primarily in blue, but unlike his brother he wore his helm proudly on his head, and in his hand he held a long staff. Whilst Louise knew that the two princes were brothers, it was easy to see why people assumed they were not. Tyrion was blond and tanned. From what she could see of the mage's hair, Louise could tell it was dark, and his skin was pale.

As the brothers parted, heading for their respective seats, Louise's eyes were drawn to the second pair approaching. She could hardly refrain from letting a little squeak escape. As different as Tyrion was from his brother Teclis, the two women that approached could not have been more unlike.

The Everqueen was fair; to the point of being dazzling to look at. Dressed in a beautiful gown of lustrous silk, she was adorned with numerous gems and brooches. She held her stave firmly out before her.

Her companion... Louise swallowed hard again. Her eyes locked on those of her foe. Merle was dressed as she had seen her many times before. Whereas the Everqueen wore lady-like fashions, Merle was clad in all black; clothing more appropriate to the Dark Elves fortresses, rather than the wooded halls of the High Elves. And yet none of the elves present saw any problem in this.

_Damn you and your Sueish powers_, Louise cursed to herself.

Merle's chocolate brown hair hung loose, the front scooped up in a delicate clip at the back of her head. Despite the fear that was now coursing through her system; she could not help but be taken aback by her beauty.

As Merle continued to stare at her, the Everqueen and the two princes took their seats. Alarielle looked down at Louise from her throne.

"So this is the chaos worshipper you told us about, Senlui?" she asked, watching as Merle approached Louise. The Everqueen's ward seized the back of her quarry's hair, and yanked hard.

"She is..."

Louise could do little to protest this accusation. She tried to struggle, but a blade appeared in Merle's hand, and was soon pressing its point against her throat. She fell silent, and waited for the Everqueen to pronounce judgement on her.

"Do you feel she is a threat to our lands?" the Everqueen asked.

_Our lands..._ thoughts whirled through Louise's head_... she doesn't belong here anymore than I do_.

Merle did not answer verbally, but Louise could guess from Alarielle's reaction that Merle had merely nodded.

"Then I will leave her in your hands." The judgement was passed, and Louise felt her fate move into the hands of her enemy. She hated feeling out of control at the best of times, but with her future in such jeopardy, it took all her will not to fight tooth and nail against her captors.

The Everqueen, despite only just arriving, stood – as did Princes Tyrion and Teclis – and floated from the hall. The two princes stayed behind; their eyes lingered on Louise, before rising to meet those of Merle, who remained towering over her.

"What will you do now that you have her, Senlui?" Tyrion asked.

Merle removed the blade from Louise's throat, but retained the firm grip on her hair. "Oh, I think a trip to the White Tower is in order for her..."

Teclis nodded, and Louise, realising what this meant, struggled as Tyrion and Merle forced her to her feet.

SLAP!

Louise recoiled from Merle's vicious backhand, wobbling a little in the direction of Prince Tyrion. He seized her shoulders, and held her still for a second smack.

Tears began to roll down Louise's cheeks, both out of pain and fear. She knew what a trip to the White Tower meant. It was Teclis' home whilst in Ulthuan, and that could mean only one thing...

Magic!

OOO

The road to the White Tower was long and bumpy. Louise had been forced into a cramped compartment of the wagon, and now her claustrophobia was beginning to tell. With the gag still in place, she could only breathe through her nose, and this came in rapid pants.

She could not move. It was not just her hands that were bound now. As they had loaded her into the wagon, Merle had ordered her feet bound as well. So, confined in a small space, Louise's only indication that they were indeed travelling was the bump of the road, and the passing shadows of the trees.

The journey wouldn't have been too bad, except for Merle's continuous taunting. She kept dropping hints about what they were going to do to her; so Louise's mind was racing with fear at the fate in store for her.

"You know, Mirani..." Merle taunted from above, "... I prefer you down there." Her smile made the hairs on the back of Louise's neck stand up. She knew that Merle was only talking to her in order to taunt her, and make her feel increasingly scared. It was working. The fear building somewhere south of Louise's chest was not going to be easily quelled.

Merle climbed out of Louise's line of vision, and the sky was all she could see. It was an almost clear day, from what she could glimpse between the branches of the trees of Avalorn. The sky was becoming a hazy peach colour, and Louise guessed it must be approaching sunset. She had no concept of actual time passing, merely the gradual motion of the sun across the sky.

As the sunlight finally drifted out of her vision, the wagon left the cover of the trees. Louise wondered whether Merle intended to travel on into the night or find a place to stop, but the wagon kept trundling onwards.

In the dark, Louise could hear the various creaks and groans of the wagon, the soft whisper of the wind as it blew through the grass to the side of the road, and closer now, the quiet voices of the driver and his assistant.

Louise wished beyond anything that she was back in the Library, in the company of her friends. A silent tear leaked from the corner of her eye, dribbled down her face and settled in her ear.

A silhouette passed across the dark sky. Louise could only tell it was there due to the blackness against the otherwise bluish night.

"Well..." Merle's voice was colder than the bitter night air. "I wonder whether they will bother coming for you..." as she voiced this, the same thought went through Louise's mind. "I don't know what you were able to give them, Mirani... but I doubt they will be put at any disadvantage by your absence."

Louise had always believed herself to be one of the weaker agents, but to have it spelt out like this. A steady flow of tears were soon pooling in her ears, dampening her hair as they spilled out.

"You were always weak, girl!" Merle's voice cut across Louise's musings, and delivered the phrase that crushed her soul. "I don't know why I ever spared your life when Richard killed you the first time."


	2. Wheels in Motion

A/N: Over a week has past since the end of Chapter one...

**Chapter 2: Wheels in Motion**

Events in the Library had taken a dramatic turn not six hours after Alice had last seen her housemate. She hadn't known much about what was going on until she had joined the back of the commotion only to see a tall gentleman with white hair: Adrian. Rumours, and then the true story, filtered down swiftly, until there was a general muster to go and rescue one of their own from the Society's current nemesis. Louise's name had come up, but Alice reported that she was taking a break to see her family; some agents valued a little time in Real Life, and it was known that Louise would always put a family emergency over a Society one. Luckily however, being on holiday was accepted, and no more was said.

When it had come to Alice, Tash and then Adrian himself had looked her over and the decision made that she was not currently fit for duty. Phoenixia had guided her back into the Monitor Room (which had a nice, new, rather fluffy dark blue carpet to replace the one she had bled all over) and gave her the rather important task of manning the screens to help co-ordinate the mission and alert them if anything came up.

That had taken little over a day. It was now the weekend; it was Sunday afternoon, and Alice hadn't heard even a breath from Louise. She was more than a little concerned.

Alice sat in her room, resting her arm in the sling. Much of its strength had now returned, a little over four weeks since the attack. She still tired easily, but was now doing physio to regain the ability to use her sword so she could be of use again. Phoenixia – who she felt truly indebted to now – was still taking care of her injury, and the sling was more for basic support than absolute necessity, but Alice wished she could get back to how she was faster than this.

She picked up her phone and called her friend. It didn't even ring.

_This person's phone is switched off. Please try later._

What? Louise always had her phone charged up. She tried the landline to their flat, and it just rang and rang until Alice broke the connection. She glared at her phone; determined to get hold of her friend, she tried a third number: Louise's mother.

"_Hello?_"

"Hello Anne, it's Alice. I was wondering whether Louise was home?"

"_Lou? No, she hasn't been here since you came for Lou's birthday. Why?_"

"Oh, her mobile's switched off is all. I think she said she was going into town, so she should be back soon. Thanks…"

Damn!

Alice stood, throwing her phone onto her bed. She stepped out of her room, looking up and down the corridors. If she wasn't answering her phone, if she wasn't in their flat and she wasn't at her mother's house…then she had to be in the Library. She went to the next door along the bookcase-lined walls and knocked, expecting the door to be locked…it swung partially open.

Venturing inside, Alice saw that everything was in its place in this terracotta mirror-image of her own blue slightly messy one. Bed linen, computer chair, alarm clock, mobile phone…

"No…" Alice whispered, picking it up from its cradle on her bedside table. She never, ever left for Real Life without it.

An ugly thought then slid into her mind. Turning, she checked the place where Louise kept her trusty pistol; it was gone.

She rushed out of the room and headed up the long corridor to the Monitor Room. She passed Rhia on the way, who called after her; Alice skidded to a halt.

"What's the matter?" she asked, immediately concerned by the panic on Alice's face.

"I don't know – I'm not sure – I'm – " Alice gathered her thoughts. "Have you seen Louise?"

"She's on vacation, isn't she?"

"Has she been sent on – what? Vacation – oh, I…"

"Alice…" Rhia said urgently, approaching the injured agent. "What's happened?"

"Rhia…I don't know…is – " Alice gasped as she thought of something. "How can I check if someone has gone and jumped into a fandom?"

"Easy, it's logged on the computers in the Monitor Room."

Alice took off again, heading for the room in question, followed by the worried Rhia. She ran through the log on a screen in the corner swiftly; so fast that she almost missed it. But there it was, starkly damning in black and white.

_Record #404724.892_

_**Fandom:**__ 'Warhammer Fantasy'_

_**Agent:**__ Louise_

_**Sue(s) Detected:**__ 1. Merle_

_**Date: **__Six (6) days ago_

Alice collapsed into a chair, and Rhia just stared at the record. "Alice…this means…"

"I know what it means." She stood, tears on her face but determination in her eyes. "I know what Merle thinks of her. At least, how it looks like what she thinks of her. Can you try and track her communicator?"

Rhia nodded and turned back to the screen. She could not miss the expletive that exploded from Alice's mouth outside the door.

Alice went straight to Tash's door, but even as she raised her uninjured left arm to knock she saw the sign saying 'OUT'. It only took a moment for her to realise where she was, to whom she must be speaking with. He was intimidating somewhat; she had missed the time of the Society where he was always around and so had only heard the stories. She hadn't had an opportunity to get a measure of him yet, let alone glomp him.

Slowly she walked down the corridor to the door with the nameplate reading 'Librarian'. Adrian's room. No 'keep out' sign was stuck on the door, as it had been over the last few days. She placed her right arm back in her sling, resting it in the fabric; it was beginning to ache, and she didn't know whether that was from her emotions. She choked down the memories of the Ak'Zahar, then that of Richard's leering face, and tentatively knocked.

"Come in!" said the cheerful voice.

Alice stood on the threshold, taking in the scene of the two sharing a friendly game of Yu-Gi-Oh. Tash drew in breath to welcome the fellow WARG into the room, but the words died on her lips.

"Alice?" queried Adrian, just as apprehensive.

"I'm sorry…but I think Louise is in trouble…"

OOO

"Now," Tash looked around the room. She and Adrian had gathered the senior agents in the briefing room to discuss the information that Alice had given them. Sat beside her was Adrian, his face a serious image of the emotions coursing through her body. Facing them both were Valerie, Phoenixia, Aster and Michael.

The six of them made up the senior command staff of the Society, and were responsible for the majority of the decision making.

Tash locked eyes on all her friends. They could see, and also knew, that she and the Librarian would not call a senior agent meeting if it were not a serious matter.

"Now..." Tash repeated herself, "... we have a potentially serious situation. Many of you know the Sue Merle..."

Michael and Phoenixia nodded. They had both been in Rome, and had experienced the forceful personality that was Merle Ravensclaw. The others looked sombre. They had at least heard the stories about this particular Sue, and knew a little about what she was capable of.

"Louise is missing..." Adrian stated bluntly.

Tash sighed. Whilst it was wonderful to have her boyfriend back in the land of the living, it wasn't as if life had been simple since his return. First Aster's kidnap, and now this; she sighed again. Louise was her friend, and she was concerned that, in the hands of Merle, she would not fare well.

Tash got to her feet, cutting Adrian off before he could continue speaking.

"Louise has been captured by Merle Ravensclaw..." the agents who had joined Tash and Louise in Rome looked concerned. Tash took in their expressions. She knew that this was going to be more than your average rescue mission, and silently started working out in her head who she would take.

Adrian joined Tash on his feet, and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder.

"We need to mount a rescue mission," he said directly, "I only want seasoned fighters to volunteer, because from what Tash tells me, we will not cope with lesser..."

The door burst open, and in flew Alice. Dressed in travel clothes, her cloak, sword and goggles, she looked ready for an argument, as she squared up opposite the Librarian and his Assistant. She wasn't expecting much objection from Tash (she knew her well enough to know that Alice was as close to Louise as a sister).

"I want to come with you," Alice announced to the suddenly silent briefing room.

"Alice..." Adrian's voice was kindly, but said to all concerned that they were clearly pressed for time.

"I won't take no for an answer, Adrian!" Alice planted her feet, and tautened her shoulders.

"You are injured... you are in no shape to take on a Sue... let alone one as powerful as Merle."

"Louise is my best friend..." Alice continued to argue, "I will not abandon her to whatever Merle has planned for her. Also..." she looked down at her hand, on which the senior agents could see were scrawled her notes. "I know the fandom very well..."

"Alice..." the patience in Adrian's voice was straining now. "Knowing the fandom is not enough."

"I'm not finished. My sword..." she swung it around, forcing the nearest agent to duck. Phoenixia gave Alice a side-long glance from the desktop. "My sword is from Warhammer 40k, which is the same universe as Fantasy, and I know it would have been forged by the Inquisition to be proof against any Psyker we encounter." She paused for breath.

Adrian took advantage of this, "You are still injured Alice... you will be no use in a fight. What's stopping me from taking your weapon from you?"

"The fact that you know I would try and fight you off, and that you have honour enough to not hurt an injured woman." Alice was almost shouting now. She could be very determined when she wanted to and she made a good argument. She hadn't been lying to the Librarian when she had told him that she wouldn't take no for an answer. "And besides, Kitty-Boy," Adrian pulled a face at the not-so-flattering moniker, "My arm's not as bad as it was..."

Tash slid her hand into her boyfriend's. "Adrian's right, Alice, you are injured... you can provide updates from Monitor Room... but I am loath to put you in harm's way."

"You don't know what you will be facing..." the volume of Alice's voice increased, "and in the field you will need dynamic and immediate updates. I cannot provide those by looking through a tiny communicator screen into the fandom."

There was silence, and Alice was convinced she had scored a point against the senior agents.

Adrian sighed.

"Besides..." Alice looked as if she was about to deliver her final, and clearly most satisfying point, "Louise knows me... she hasn't even met you..." she extended a finger in Adrian's direction. "To her, you could easily be just another threat."

There was an intake of breath at the other end of the table. "She has a point..." it was Michael, "maybe a compromise is in order here..." he suggested.

Alice looked around at him, a soft smile building on her face. Adrian looked over.

"A compromise?" he pondered, "how so?"

"Alice comes with the rescue party, but if it gets to a point that she cannot continue, she agrees to return to the Library without further argument."

Alice turned back to face the Librarian and his Assistant. Tash too was looking at Adrian.

"He has a good point with this, dear." Tash noted, her arm still wrapped tightly around Adrian's shoulder. "Alice knows Merle better than most of us, and she is definitely improved in her health..."

Adrian sighed again. It was obvious to him that he was losing this argument, and knew that they didn't have the time to debate this as much as he would like.

"Very well..." he turned quickly to face Alice. It was a little daunting for her. In all the time that she had been in the Society, Adrian had been nothing more than a story. It was only in the past few weeks, with Adrian's resurrection, that those rumours became true. She swallowed hard as she faced him.

"If any of the agents of the rescue party think you are a hindrance, or are too injured to continue - you will return to the Library, Alice..." There was a finality in Adrian's voice. She nodded, in full understanding.

Somebody kicked a chair out, and Alice swiftly sat down. Tash continued with her talk, and soon the rescue party were gathered in the Monitor Room. Adrian had ultimately chosen the strongest agents for the mission.

Tash was obviously going - she was the fastest agent, and as far as the Society knew, the only person who could even come close to matching Merle for speed.

Michael was one of the strongest fighters in the entire Society, and as such was included.

Adrian had insisted that Valerie remain behind. "We may need medical back-up when we return," he had told her. "We need you here, Val..."

"I'll be fine," Rhia assured Cristoph as he prepared to join the party. He wrapped a gentle arm around her, and squeezed tight. He loaded his clothing with all kinds of pointed items, and headed off to join the others.

As Cristoph arrived, Aster approached, carrying her staff in one hand. The party now numbered five, but as Adrian paced around the Monitor Room, it was clear that he didn't think it enough.

Alice arrived not long after Aster and Cristoph. She carried her sword at her waist, and was slipping her goggles onto her head. She took one look at the assembled party, and gulped. She was in some high powered company.

Adrian was getting more and more impatient, but eventually Phoneixia strode around the corner, tying her hair up with a purple ribbon.

She was not dressed in one of her usual beautiful outfits. Her trousers and top were a warm brown colour, and she carried Incandescent Silverreign under her arm.

Adrian looked up as Phoenixia entered, picking up his sword, he turned to the gathered agents.

"This is a rescue mission. If we capture the Sue, at the expense of our agent, we have failed. We must focus purely on the task at hand."

There were nods all around, even from Alice, who unsheathed her sword, and held it up before her. She looked ready to take on anything Merle could throw at her, and then some. If her friends hadn't known, none of them would have noticed that she held the sword more with her left hand than her right.

The Librarian opened a plothole into the correct fandom, and with weapons in hand, the ensemble stepped through.

OOO


	3. Thoughts and Fears

A/N: Hey guys... here's chapter 3... hope you like it...

**Chapter 3: Thoughts and Fears**

A scream tore across the forests of Ulthuan. It was human, and yet in-human at the same time. It was a cry of pain, a cry of anger and a cry of despair all in the same breath. Those on the ground who heard it felt pity for the poor soul in the White Tower, but went about their daily business regardless. It was becoming commonplace now, and those elves working regularly within earshot of the Tower learned to ignore it.

At the top of the White Tower, Louise hung by her wrists. A slow trickle of congealing blood coated the inside of her arm from the large cut where her restraints had been digging in. Her eyes, half open, tingled with the quantity of tears that had, over the last few days, been shed from the pain she was suffering.

She was mildly thankful that she was still afforded the floor to stand on, although she had been on her feet now for almost a week, and the lactic acid was beginning to build up steadily in her muscles.

The room was empty at present, her captors leaving her for a while, but Louise knew that it would not be long before her torturers returned. She was beyond the point of being able to struggle against her bonds, and merely wept with the pain that each new beating brought.

Between these beatings, Louise prayed to all the Gods and Goddesses out there that the Society would find her soon, and rescue her from her nightmare.

A horrible sinking sensation rippled through her semi-conscious body as the sound of footsteps reverberated in the stairwell from the floor below. Someone was coming up, and whoever it was was likely to cause more pain, more suffering... Louise closed her eyes, and braced herself for the onslaught.

The door opened with a soft squeak, and the footsteps – more than one pair, Louise noted – moved towards her. With her eyes tightly closed, she listened hard.

SMACK!

A hand impacted the side of her face, and Louise recoiled from the blow. She could feel the sting just beneath the surface of the skin, and knew that there would be a livid bruise at the point of impact soon enough.

"No one is coming for you, Mirani." It was Merle's voice; cold and yet full of passion. "You have been abandoned."

"No..." Louise murmured.

"Believe it girl..." Merle's words coincided with another blow, this time to the side of her torso. She prayed that nothing broke, although from the pain now shooting through her body, she wouldn't be surprised to discover a cracked rib or two.

Louise opened her eyes a little, and there, standing before her was Merle. Dressed all in black, she contrasted greatly with the pale stone of the tower room. She smiled as she spotted her foe's gaze on her, and slowly it turned into a sneer. Louise looked around briefly; where the second pair of feet were, she had no idea.

"You betrayed me..." Merle repeated the same thing she had been saying for days. Louise didn't bother replying to it. Every time she opened her mouth to protest, Merle hit her. "Nothing to say...?" The goading was not new either, but it took all of Louise's self-control not to yell back at her enemy. Even in her bruised state, she had fight left in her. Merle could beat her black and blue, but she was not going to break her... not in that sense anyway.

Someone seized a handful of her hair from behind, yanking her head backwards, and placing a blade at her throat.

"You are chaos scum..." the male voice insulted her. Louise knew that voice too well by now. Prince Tyrion. She tried to fight, but her suspended arms made the attempts all but useless. "You would see the fall of my great country..." he continued, and Louise saw in front of her, Merle's mouth form a contented smile. She was perfectly happy at the way things were occurring. This smile sent a shiver down her spine. Maybe Merle was right, and no one was coming for her...

Tyrion pushed from behind, and Louise swung briefly from the ropes that hung from the ceiling. She struggled to find her footing again, and as she did, Merle's blade sliced at her clothing. Holes appeared in both her top and trousers. She hoped, beyond hope, that they would at least remain in place.

As Louise came to a halt, Tyrion took the advantage, and grabbed hold of her hair again. Forcing her to remain still, he exposed her to the full force of Merle's wrath, and soon the blade crashed into her midriff again. She screamed, but Tyrion was quick. His hand came across her mouth, pulling back and stifling the noise. Merle swung again, this time for her arm.

CRACK!

Louise knew a bone had broken. Her arm felt like it was on fire. Even in Tyrion's firm grip, she wobbled on her feet. The agony was getting too much for her, and her mind was shutting down to protect itself from the continued onslaught. As she closed her eyes again, she could only wish and pray that either the Society or death would find her, because, as another blow crashed into her ribcage, she knew that before long she would be willing to say anything; anything to stop the pain.

The last blow that Louise remembered, before the darkness overcame her, was a whack around her head. She didn't know what caused it, but she slipped into unconsciousness as the pain split her head open.

OOO

The plothole opened in the forests of Ulthuan. The swirling rainbow colours lasted only as long as it took the agents to exit the aperture. As the portal closed, Tash drew Nephthys from around her neck, and soon there was a four foot long sword in her hand.

Aster grasped her staff firmly; Adrian's hand encircled the grip of his borrowed sword; Michael's sword appeared with a 'swoosh'; Phoenixia's Incandescent Silverreign hummed quietly; Cristoph fiddled with a number of sharp pointy things in his pocket. And Alice swallowed hard at the task before them all.

"Do we have any idea where Merle will be holding her?" Michael asked, his eyes scanning the woodland in which they had appeared.

"Um..." Alice looked around too.

"Well you're helpful. I wonder why Adrian..."

"ASTER!" Tash's voice cut across the final words. She turned to Alice... "Any idea?"

"Gimme a second," Alice held her hand up to the others. She was thinking. Out of the agents gathered in the woodland, she had had the most experience of Merle. The others were looking to her for information; it was the reason that Adrian had agreed to bring her along. She dredged up all the information Louise had ever told her about the fandom she found herself in, trying to find anything that could be of use in their present situation. "This looks like it's the forests around Ulthuan..." she murmured to herself, but Adrian caught it.

"So... where in Ulthuan could Merle be keeping Louise?" he asked. There was urgency in his voice that Alice had never heard before. She thought hard, knowing that this was her moment to prove to Adrian that she was more than just a spare wheel.

The others looked around too. All they could see for what appeared to be forever were trees.

"There's a path over here." Phoenixia reappeared through the undergrowth. "Maybe it'll lead us to where she's holding Louise."

Adrian looked around. "Where's Cristoph?"

A voice came from the trees above them. "There is a tower, Lord Adrian. At the end of the path."

Lightning thought struck Alice at the mention of towers. "The White Tower..." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"You've heard of it?" Tash asked

Alice nodded as Cristoph swung down from the tree. "Is there a chance that that is where Merle is keeping Louise?" Adrian asked.

"More than a chance, I guess..." Tash tried to force her voice to be sure and confident. She looked sidelong at Alice as she spoke, who nodded.

As Adrian began gathering the others around him, Alice chirped up. "She will definitely be there."

"How can you be sure?" Aster's voice held all the disbelief that Alice had herself been trying so hard to hide.

"Because that's the White Tower... home to the swordsmen of Hoeth..." Alice whispered to herself... realising that she had taken in more than she appreciated from Louise's random ramblings. "And..." the group started moving through the undergrowth, towards the path and the tower as Alice finished her sentence, "and the mages."

As the group reached the path, Adrian held up a hand, and they all stopped as one. The sound of hoof-beats on the path caused them to drop into the bushes, and Alice winced a little as she landed on her arm.

"Alice..." Adrian turned to her before they moved off again. "If this tower is where they are holding Louise, we need to know as much now as possible. What kind of guard are they likely to have?"

"Swordsmen and mages mainly," as Alice spoke more and more of the information Louise had told her of this place came to the forefront. "All Elves" Alice added.

Adrian nodded, taking in this information. "And the layout of the tower?"

Alice looked a little thunder-stuck. Louise had never mentioned this before, and was a little nervous about admitting it to the Librarian. "Once I can see the building, I will have a better idea, but most towers are built around similar designs."

The path was not long, and soon the agents were yet again crouched in the undergrowth, this time staring at the base of a large, white-stone tower. Elven runes littered the sides, along with sections of shining silver and gold. It stood unsupported; and unhindered by the encroaching woodland. At the floor, one single door provided access. As Alice gazed at the entrance-way, she could feel her bullshit cogs crank into gear.

Tash peered up towards the top, hidden above the canopy of the trees.

"It must be hundreds of feet high," she was in awe of the construction, and yet conscious of the climbing this would therefore involve.

"We'd best get started then," suggested Michael.

Adrian gave the path a last cursory sweep before leading the agents out.

"HALT!" came a voice from inside the base of the tower. "You are not permitted in this area"

The agents ground to a stop, hands on weapons. Adrian proffered his still-empty hands towards the voice. Alice, however, stepped forward before the others could hold her back.

"Please..." she directed her comment to the voice in the tower. "We are here on the orders of Lady Merle..." She hoped that this would be enough; else they would have a giant fight on their hands.

"She gave us no news that others would be coming..." the Elf stepped from the entrance-way to the tower. He was in a long robe of bright aqua, over which were numerous sections of metal armour. His head was helmed with large silver wings, from which flowed several strands of aqua material. In his hand, he held a large sword. Even with his long flowing blonde hair, he looked ready for a battle.

"Of course she wouldn't have." Alice's bullshit cogs were at full power. "You are merely a guard of this door. We are here to escort the prisoner to Lothern to be judged by the Phoenix King." Behind her, she caught a glimpse of Tash's sideways look at Adrian, whose white hair shook gently.

It was clear to all the agents that this young elf was wavering.

"Are you going to risk her displeasure, and that of the Phoenix King himself?" Alice pressed home her advantage.

"Naturally not." The elf was young and inexperienced; else he would have seen through the blatant crap that Alice was now producing.

"Then stand aside, and let us about our business." Alice waved her friends forward. Michael forced a fake cough to hide his snigger, as the others walked towards the door.

"HOLD IT THERE!" the yell came from behind the agents. Alice, now at the back of the group, turned to see a large number of elves approaching along the path. They all carried long staffs, of the kind usually seen borne by highly skilled mages.

"We are here on the order..." Alice began again.

"SILENCE GIRL" the lead elf's staff pointed at her as he spoke. Alice was forced backwards, and landed awkwardly on her backside at Cristoph's feet.

"Alice!" Tash cried.

"We know who you are, and why you are here," the elf continued. "You will not interfere with the Lady Senlui's plans."

"The hell we won't!" Phoenixia blurted out as Cristoph helped Alice to her feet again. She cradled her arm gently.

"Are you sure you're okay, Lady Alice?" Cristoph whispered. "Maybe you should return..."

"I'm not leaving Louise" Alice's response was direct and to the point.

"As long as you're sure," he turned his attention back to the more pressing problem of the approaching mages.

The agents braced themselves for the onslaught that they expected to come. Tash's hand wrapped firmly around the hilt of Nephthys; she watched the elves approach. When they were approximately 20 feet away, they halted.

The mages seized their staffs, and lowering them towards the agents, sent several bolts of magical energy at them.

The first impacted Tash directly, and knocked her flying. Adrian's head whipped around to check she was not severely injured, before facing front again. The second bolt caught Michael on the shoulder, sending the chief agent spinning to the floor.

Phoenixia had already hoisted Incandescent Silverreign up, and was taking aim. She managed one shot; it sent the poor mage backwards into a nearby tree, before she too was the victim of a magical bolt. It crashed into the weapon she held.

"Oh damn it!" she cursed. "They turned my ammo into clay!"

"What?" Alice looked around at her.

"Someone, cover me!" she called to the others. Adrian stepped forward, shielding his friend from any incoming fire.

At the back of the group, Aster had a problem of her own. The swordsman, realising that these people had duped him, rushed forward in a rage. For a moment, he threatened to overwhelm the rear guard of the surrounded agents. But Aster raised her staff, and brought it down with a definitive blow on the poor elf's head. His silver wings crumpled beneath the weight brought to bear on them, and the soldier crashed to the ground.

Cristoph extended a quick hand to Tash, helping her to her feet; meanwhile Michael clambered up under his own steam. As Tash straightened up, she saw Adrian flashstep away from a well-aimed energy bolt.

He reappeared at her side as another bolt was directed at her. The two agents flashstepped to safety, coming to a halt beside Michael and Phoenixia. The latter's weapon had had all the clay removed, and she was now hoisting it onto her shoulder.

Tash and Adrian flashstepped in the direction of the attacking elves, their swords in their hands. As they appeared back in the group, Alice drew her own. She didn't know how effective it would be, but she was determined that these poncey elves were not going to stand between her and rescuing Louise.

"Are we making any head-way?" Michael asked.

"A little..." Adrian replied as the mages gathered together, and launched another assault on the agents. Alice gripped her sword tight, and to the shock of the majority of people present, the magic dissipated before it reached any of its intended targets.

All the agents and mages stared for a second, and then Tash turned to Alice.

"That's one hell of a sword."

Alice grinned, her attention for a second diverted from the still stunned mages. "I told you it was from the same universe."

As Tash turned back, it was as if that singular movement were a signal, and the rest of the agents launched their attack.

BANG!

Phoenixia shot a mage before he had a chance to react to the movement of the enemy. His lifeless body crumpled to the earth. She silently thanked her lucky stars that the weapon never ran out of ammo, and that the stuff the mages had reduced to clay could easily be replaced.

Adrian and Tash, swords in hands, flashstepped forward, into the four mages. One snagged, brought down by a strike across the back of his knees. Tash finished him off with a swift slice from Nephthys.

Michael moved in, sword raised, and finished off another of the mages.

Seeing his comrades either dead or unconscious around him, the lead mage, sporting a graze from Incandescent Silverreign on his arm, pointed his staff at the group.

"You..." he stuttered. "You are the spawn of chaos." He looked directly at Alice as he spoke, his eyes on her anti-psyker sword. She was a little intimidated by the elf, his stare felt like it bored into her soul. The sword in her hand hummed quietly, sensing the build up of magical energy in the elven mage.

"In the name of the Ordo Maria-Rosa," she said through gritted teeth. As she spoke, she raised her sword. "I name thee Psyker!"

On the last word, she pushed the button on her sword and brought it up to touch the final mage's staff, electrifying the life out of him. As she removed the contact with her sword, the mage sank to the leaf covered ground.

She turned around, sword still active, and the other agents pulled back warily.

"Oops, sorry," she said, and powered down her weapon.

"Well..." Tash stepped over the unconscious form of the doorway guard. "Let's hope that was the worst of it."

"I doubt it will be, Lady Tash." Cristoph stepped around the obstruction, and peered into the base of the tower. "All clear," he announced.

As Alice and the other agents rushed in, all were praying that they were not too late.

"Hold on, Louise..." Alice murmured to herself. "We're on our way."

OOO

When Louise next came to, she could not see anything. It felt as though a wad of fabric had been tied firmly over her eyes. A gag remained in place in her mouth; her ears, however, were working perfectly.

She knew she was seated, but when she tried to move, there was no give. The bonds around her wrists were securely fastened to the arms of whatever she was sat in. She winced as a spasm of pain shot up her arm. She guessed it really was broken.

She strained to hear the smallest of sounds, but apparently the room in which she had been left was otherwise unoccupied. A quiet noise alerted her to another person's arrival, but who that person might be, Louise had no idea.

_Was that a footstep? The tinkle of water? The creek of a floorboard? _

The first certain thing that told Louise that the new arrival was no friendly was the hard whack across her face. She gave a startled squeak from behind her gag.

"Well..." came a voice that was oh-too-familiar. To the helpless Louise, it was as if Merle's voice could hold no more malice and yet at the same time, no more joy. She had her quarry in her grasp, and from where Louise was sitting, there appeared no way out. "... is she broken enough?"

Louise didn't know to whom Merle was talking. She struggled futilely against her bonds.

"Sadly not, my Lady," the other speaker was male. His voice had a musical lilt to it that brought images of elves and green things. "I cannot work the magic you have asked until her spirit is utterly broken." Louise despaired. She knew what this meant. More pain, more suffering.

"Well then..." Merle's voice got closer, and Louise screwed her eyes up as another slap caught the side of her face. She had barely recovered from that blow when something very narrow and very sharp touched the underside of her chin. "We will have to break her some more." The knife edge dragged along her skin, and Louise could not contain the muffled scream that was forced from her.

Merle's hand impacted the agent's face again, and it recoiled to one side. Her head throbbed, and yet all Louise could do was sit there, and take all the torture that her foe was dishing out. She didn't know how long this latest session was going to last, but prayed that it would soon be over.

"Your friends aren't coming for you," Merle's voice cut into Louise's semi-conscious prayers. She didn't know how much time had passed. "You are going to die here, Mirani... die a traitor's death."

Several hours before, Louise would have struggled with all her might at those words. The thought of suffering the ignoble nature of a traitor's hanging was enough to cause most people to fight for their lives, but Louise had long since resigned herself to the fact that the other agents didn't know where she was, and that no one would ever be coming to rescue her.

"I think she's broken enough now..." Merle's voice was distant in the barely conscious fog of Louise's mind. She was losing her tentative grip on reality. She felt the ghost touch of hands feeling her face, the light of consciousness was fading... fading... until, as one last ditch attempt to cling on failed, it vanished altogether, and Louise slipped into the blackness of unconsciousness.

OOO


	4. The End of All Things

A/N: Final Chapter. I hope everyone has enjoyed it. Thanks for the reviews...

**Chapter 4 – End of All Things**

"Is this Warhammer Fantasy or Legend of Zelda?" Michael pondered out loud as he rolled the last ball into place and the previously sealed door opened.

Whilst none of the others replied, they all silently agreed with him. The spiral nature of the tower did feel a lot like they were caught up in their own little video game. It was either a trap or a soldier that greeted them on each floor... or if they were really unlucky, both.

As the group arrived on the fifth floor, there was a yelp from the front. Tash had foolishly run head long into the room and then just as quickly exited it – a large gash on her arm.

"Soldiers..." she whispered.

"Worked that out..." Aster quipped.

Before any of the others could admonish her, a group of ten heavily armed elves hurtled around the corner. Adrian, sword already in his hand, merely extended it, and the unfortunate front elf gasped as the blade slid crisply through the thin plate armour, and into the flesh beneath.

Adrian pulled his sword out, allowing the elf to fall to the floor. His comrades spared him the briefest of glances before they launched into battle.

Phoenixia was not as slow as some of the others, and another fell in the rush to get to the front of the battle pack, a large circular hole appearing in his chest plate.

As the group of now eight elves collided with the rescue party, a melee of grey and red whirled around the corridor. The blend of colours was soon joined by the flicker of flames. Tash turned, Nephthys was aflame and the Assistant Librarian swung at the nearest attacker. Careful to avoid her friends with the four foot hot piece of metal, she impacted the broad side against the elf, catching him alight.

She gave the elf an incredulous kick, and he fell head-over-heels down the spiral staircase. Tash barely had time to wince at the loud crack she heard as her victim's head impacted on the flagstones, before she was faced with another one. Her flaming sword kept the poor unfortunate at bay for a second, but the others were herding the elves into the side room.

Aster, holding her staff in one hand, reached across to the melee of fleeing elves to give one a substantial whack on the head. The poor soul fell to the floor, and his comrades didn't have time to pick him up.

Backing the six elves against the wall, the agents fanned out, cutting off all possible escape. All agents raised their respective weapons; Tash's casting ominous looking shadows on the wall behind the elves.

"Where...?" Alice started to demand, but Adrian held a hand up to cut her off. With some of their enemies distracted, the elves saw a chance to run. Michael, however, had other ideas.

As the first remaining elf darted for the door, he raised his sword, and the escapee ran straight into the sharp edge. Michael gave a little wince as the elf crumpled to the floor. In the silence, a second elf fell, and those with keen eyes saw Cristoph sliding daggers back beneath his robes.

Seeing their companions fall seemed to give the remaining four elves courage rather than causing them to surrender, and they rushed forward.

SQUELCH!

Two elves were quickly impaled on agents' swords. Tash rapidly shook hers off, but Alice was mildly freaked out...-

"OH MY..." she yelled. The elf was impaled on her sword, and she froze where she stood. Tiredness was already beginning to creep up on her.

Adrian spun around, sword extended, and decapitated another, as Phoenixia called to Alice...

"Zap the damned thing!"

Alice pressed the button on her 40K sword, and fried the elf.

Michael, abandoning his sword for a second, seized the nearest elf and threw him bodily out of the window. The poor elf screamed for what seemed like forever. A loud wince sounded in the room as the silence of the last swordsman's death reverberated around it.

Adrian spun around, his sword still grasped in his hand. Seeing Alice clutching her injured arm however, the blade sagged, and Adrian leaned towards the young agent.

"Alice..." he began, but seeing the young woman's recoil, he crouched and rested a gentle hand on her injured shoulder. "Alice, your arm is hurting you, isn't it?"

Alice stared at him, wanting to deny the fact, but then winced softly and nodded.

"I think it is time you returned to the Library... don't you?"

She nodded again dejectedly. All those watching knew that she must be suffering greatly else she would not have abandoned Louise like this.

"Sorry..." she mumbled.

"You don't need to apologise. You've helped us this far. If you need to, kick everyone out of the Monitor Room, but I think you should return now..."

She nodded again, collecting her strength, and clambering to her feet with Adrian's help.

"Is there anything else we need to be aware of?" Tash asked, her hand joining Adrian's on her friend's shoulder.

Alice pondered for a second...

"Stay out of the moonlight..." she murmured... and with a glance up at the nearest window, added, "and please, be back before nightfall..."

Tash, who knew a little of the reason behind Alice's concern, simply nodded; her eyes darted to Adrian who echoed his partner if with a little confusion.

"Someone take my sword..." Alice suggested, holding it up for a friend to take.

There was a long silence. All the other agents already had weapons of their own, but all knew Alice was right, and that taking her sword would aid them significantly. Eventually, it was Michael was reached across the void and wrapped a hand around the proffered hilt.

Alice raised her plothole generator with her uninjured arm, and before long was standing in the Library Monitor Room. She shooed the agent on duty out, and slammed the door. Turning to the screen, she saw Tash, Adrian, Michael, Phoenixia, Cristoph and Aster disappear through the doorway to yet more stairs.

"I hate stairwells..." Cristoph muttered... "so easy to get the drop on the intruder."

The six remaining agents tiptoed up the spiral staircase. All held some form of weapon in hand, be it bladed or blunt. They all hoped that, by moving as silently as possible, they might avoid some of the more skilled swordsmen that Alice had mentioned inhabited this tower.

As the tower climbed through the canopy of the Ulthuan forest, the pale glow of the approaching twilight filtered in the handful of windows that followed the spiral staircase. The encounters with the guards did not lessen, but the rescue party became more and more adept at avoiding them, or if that were impossible, quickly dispatching them.

They didn't know which floor they had reached, but entered a room that was bathed in moonlight. All the agents stopped on the threshold, cautious of Alice's earlier words.

"There is no other way around it," Adrian reminded them. "If we want to rescue our friend, then we must continue."

The others agreed with this, and started to cross the moonlight filled room.

Half way across, Aster froze in her tracks. She was staring into the puddle of moonlight, a puzzled look on her face. There was something about this room that was different from all the others. Something in her moon-fae nature tingled, and she had the uncomfortable feeling that they were not alone.

"Aster?" Tash's voice called from the bottom of the next stairs. At this, the other agents turned as well. The moon-fae was looking around the room, as though trying to find something that was misplaced.

"Aster?" Adrian walked to her side. "What's wrong?"

"Stay out of the moonlight," she echoed Alice's earlier warning. She looked up at the Librarian, and in a sudden moment of clarity yelled, "Quick... move!" Aster pushed Adrian from the moonlight.

As the group made to climb the stairs, a mocking laugh sounded behind them. Everyone whirled around to face the pale lit room. A flicker of a shadow appeared in the centre; a human shaped shadow. But before they could even think about drawing their blades, it was gone.

"What was that?" Michael asked, a hint of nervousness in his otherwise calm voice.

Tash slipped her hand into Adrian's, and pulled the Librarian close. She was clearly freaked out by what they had all seen.

"We were very lucky there," Adrian announced, and Aster nodded in confirmation. "Best keep moving."

Phoenixia gave one final glance over her shoulder as she rounded the corner, and she could have sworn there was someone standing in the room now. But the others were moving, and as Adrian had told them all, they were on a rescue mission.

Stairs were all they saw for the next few minutes. Ever spiralling stairs, turning ever upwards. As the agents turned into the eighth floor, Adrian threw out his arms. Before them was a large expanse of nothingness. Looking down, they could see all the way to the bottom.

"How..." Michael asked. "How is that possible?"

Aster poked the space with her staff. It impacted on something solid. Cristoph copied, and the blade slid straight through.

"What the..." Tash exclaimed.

Michael held Alice's sword to a section of the floor, and suddenly there was a metre-by-metre square of solid wood.

"It's magic." Adrian surmised.

"It looks real to me," Cristoph countered, now waving his hand through the invisible floor. Phoenixia lowered a leg to the invisible floor. It slipped passed the metre square of wood that Michael had exposed.

"We can't walk on this," she declared.

"I beg to differ," Aster's voice came from the middle of the room. As the others looked up, it appeared as if Aster were floating in mid-air.

"Of course..." Michael cried. "Aster is a magical being. The illusion has no effect on her body."

Adrian tentatively placed a foot out in front of him. As it reached the level of the floor, it straightened out as he put his weight on it. Slowly, as if he expected the floor to give way under him at any second, he joined Aster in the middle of the room, and the pair walked to the small plinth on the far side.

"That's all well and good for you two," Tash called from the other side of the room. "But the rest of us are normal humans."

"Use your wings, Tash..." Adrian shouted back. The other agents retreated a little as Tash summoned her flame wings, and launched herself recklessly into the room. Soon, she was stood with Adrian and Aster on the far side of the room.

Michael approached the edge of the safe area, the Darkness unfolding from his back in the form of giant wings. They easily carried him over to join Tash, Adrian and Aster.

As Michael landed and the Darkness-formed wings vanished, Tash immediately leapt into the air, aiming for the opposite side. As she landed, her foot slipped. Arms twirling like a windmill, she looked for a second like she might fall. Cristoph seized hold of her top, and pulled her into his arms.

On the far side of the room, Adrian let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"Careful Lady Tash..." Cristoph made sure that she was balanced and stable before letting go.

Tash smiled at him. "Thanks" she murmured as he wrapped his arms around her slender frame. She walked to the edge of the drop, her eyes fixed on her favourite kitty on the other side. His eyes were glued on hers. Tash leapt up and out, into the perilous space between the two platforms.

Phoenixia looked down the hole, and then up at the ever increasing group on the far side of the room. She watched Tash land with Cristoph, and turn to make the leap into the void.

"Phoenixia..." Adrian called, placing a hand on Tash's shoulder. "Are you sure you aren't going to be too heavy..."

"How big do you think I am?" Phoenixia would have been mildly insulted, if she hadn't known exactly what Adrian was referring to. "No..." she threw her hand up before he had a chance to respond. "Don't answer that..."

Adrian smirked across the gap at his oldest friend, and released Tash, who leapt into the chasm between the two platforms.

Soon Phoenixia was safely delivered to the other side, and the others were once again a single entity. Tash folded her wings back in, and all six of them hoisted weapons.

As they climbed to the next floor, and voice behind them made all agents turn as one.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Coming up the stairs, standing abreast, were three elves. Two of them were small in stature, both clutching staffs of a dark wood. The centre elf was tall, lean and armed with a shining sword.

"You are not welcome here... the Lady has forbidden it," the elf in the centre spoke to the agents.

Adrian, catching sight of him, swallowed. This was going to be a difficult battle, and one that the agents gathered around him would have to use all their skill to win. The elf standing before him was a canon character, and as such, the agents were not permitted to kill him.

"I bet she has..." Tash muttered to herself.

"And whom might you be to give these orders?" Adrian's hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword.

"I am Teclis, High Loremaster of this tower, Prince of Ulthuan."

The hand of one of the mages twitched, and Michael raised Alice's sword before him. It had worked downstairs, so it stood to reason that it would work again. The agents reacted at Michael's movement, all drawing their weapons.

"Would you be that foolish?" Teclis was still addressing Adrian.

"I don't know..." Adrian's own sword was brought between the Librarian and the elf prince. "Are you going to risk it?"

One of the minor mages launched an unprovoked attack towards Adrian. Michael thrust Alice's sword between them, praying that it would work. As the blast approached, it fizzled into nothingness.

Michael planted himself at Adrian's side, Alice's sword in his hand.

"You think that puny little thing is going to stop me?" Teclis taunted the agents. "I am more powerful than you could possibly know."

Behind the main defensive line, Tash gave a yelp as the Copyrights she had just slipped from her pocket burst into flames. Adrian gave a glance, and found that Cristoph was already tending to her injuries.

"You will never use them on me..."

Cristoph appeared at Adrian's side. He whispered into the Librarian's ear.

Adrian tugged on Michael's tunic, and the agents retreated into the ninth floor room. It was fairly empty. A handful of boxes lay stacked by the open window and on the opposite side to where they entered, another door stood locked.

As the agents reached the other side of the room, they turned in unison. Adrian and Michael placed themselves in front of the others – a human shield against whatever the elves might throw at them.

As Teclis entered the room, a wave of pressure was launched towards Michael, knocking the chief agent from his feet, and sending Alice's sword spinning across the floor.

Cristoph threw a knife with pinpoint accuracy at the junior elf mage. The elf fell to the floor, his lifeless form providing a convenient obstacle for the approaching attackers.

"All this is in vain, you know?" Teclis called from the other side of the room. "She's already dead."

Tash saw red. She launched herself at the elf. Teclis fired a blast at Tash, who was thrown backwards; her head impacted on the wall and she crumpled to a heap on the floor. Adrian's head whipped around, and he made to launch himself at the elven prince.

The remaining minor mage took advantage of the Librarian's distraction and threw a blast at his unprotected back. Adrian twisted, and dodged the attack.

Phoenixia had seen the cowardly attack on her companion. She was furious, and she raised her weapon to her shoulder and fired. The elf fell head over heels through the door and down the stairs.

Standing alone in the doorway, Teclis withdrew a hand from his sword, and raised it before the agents. All the copyrights, from wherever the various agents had stuffed them, caught alight. Michael and Tash, now climbing unsteadily to her feet, rapidly began patting their pockets to put out the flames. Adrian turned to face Teclis.

"We have no quarrel with you or your people, my Lord..." he was up for trying anything, including diplomacy at this point. "All we want is to take our friend and leave."

"How foolish do you think I am, boy?" Teclis took a step towards Adrian. The other agents, not occupied with extinguishing pocket fires, seized their weapons. "You are but children to me..."

Teclis took another step forward, and he strayed in range of Aster's staff. It came down with a satisfying crunch on Teclis' helm, and the elf crumpled to the floor. Phoenixia stepped deliberately over the unconscious form.

"Now can we move on?" she asked purposefully, lifting Incandescent Silverreign onto her shoulder.

"Onwards and upwards," Tash declared, taking the lead and heading for the stairs.

"We can't have much further to go," Tash panted as they reached the tenth floor. Despite being tired, she was leading the group. Her friendship with Louise, along with her unspoken promise to Alice, was pushing her onwards.

As the group turned a corner, they came across a locked door.

"DAMN IT!" Tash screamed. To have come so far, she was not going to be stopped by something as mundane as a locked door. She threw herself against the door, but it didn't give.

"Tash... stand aside." Adrian squared himself in front of the door. He charged at the handle side, and it gave way, and the door swung back on its hinges.

As the agents rushed into the top room in the tower, the sight that greeted them was one that made many gasp. The more alert among them rushed forward to support Louise's unconscious weight. Adrian reached up; his sharp steel making light work of the rope that suspended the agent from the ceiling. Louise crashed down, her limp form falling into Cristoph's embrace.

OOO

Alice woke with a start, and was initially a little confused as to where she was. She remembered being in the Monitor Room waiting for the others to bring Louise back. Dead or alive, she had wanted to be there for her best friend. Why was she now in her room? It didn't take her long to work out what must have happened.

She must have fallen asleep in the Monitor Room, resisting Valerie's attempts to get her to go to bed. In the end, the empath had allowed her to remain at the desk, but had slowly observed her getting more and more sleepy.

When Adrian and the others had returned with an unconscious Louise, Alice was none the wiser; being slumped on the desk in front of the monitors. The other agents had merely helped her back to her room, knowing that in the morning she would demand to see her best friend.

And so it was with a sense of trepidation that Alice approached the hospital wing that morning. She did not know in what condition she would find her friend, but as Louise had guarded her bedside during her latest stay, Alice thought it her duty to do the same.

The hospital wing was near enough deserted when Alice opened the doors. She had passed Tash on her way from her room, and been informed of Louise's safe return, but wasn't going to be happy until she had seen for herself.

Louise lay fast asleep on one of the hospital beds. Valerie or one of her team had clearly lain what was left of her clothes over one of the others; Alice's eyes were drawn to the tears in the fabric. She winced as her gaze moved onto the figure of her friend.

Louise's left arm was wrapped in a sterile bandage and held in a sling, although Alice could see that the lower layers of the bandage were stained with blood. A chair sat at the side of the bed, no doubt put there by a helpful Valerie. Alice jumped into the seat, and waited for Louise to come to.

What Alice was waiting for took just over an hour. First came a little murmur, catching her attention. She turned to look at her friend's face. Louise's eyes blinked, eventually focusing on Alice's face.

"Alice..." she moaned. Her voice was dry, as if she had not had enough to drink over the last few days. Alice winced as she contemplated the possibility that this may actually have been the truth.

"Louise" she whispered gently, "I'm here..."

"Where...?" Her friend's words were coming in starts.

"You're in the Library," Alice filled in for her. She knew Louise well enough to know what she was likely going to be asking.

Louise slipped her hand from inside Alice's, and reached forwards. "Water..." she croaked.

Alice moved from her side, but was soon back with a glass of liquid for her friend.

"Thanks..." was all Louise could say, between sips.

"Careful..." Valerie's voice called over from the other side of the room. "Don't give her too much too quickly." Alice merely nodded, and placed the glass on the side table.

"How long?" Louise's voice was a little better following her drink. It no longer sounded like she had swallowed a cheese grater.

"Only one day," Alice's hand collected her friends. "We came and rescued you."

Louise smiled. She knew that Alice would have gone through hell and high water to get her back, just as she would do for her. Looking around, she realised that, besides Valerie at the other end of the room, she and Alice were alone. "Where are the others?" she asked quietly,

Alice too looked around. She had no doubt that Adrian and Tash would want to debrief Louise as soon as possible. It was Valerie again who spoke up, "They are giving you two some time together."

Alice's voice, barely above a conspiratorial whisper, said, "It's as if they think we're a married couple."

Valerie, pretending not to hear Alice's jibe, approached Louise's bedside.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better now I've had something to drink," she murmured, still holding Alice's hand.

"Don't drink too quickly," Valerie tested Louise's temperature, and pulse rate. "I'll come and have a look at you in an hour or so, and if you are improved then, I'll let you go back to your room."

Louise attempted a nod, but her head was throbbing. Valerie left the hospital wing, leaving the two agents together. Alice sighed, catching her friend's attention.

"What's up?" she asked.

"You lied to me" Alice accused, though her heart wasn't in it.

"I'm sorry..." Louise could not have sounded more sincere. "Merle is my problem. I don't want others getting into trouble because of her."

Alice still looked a little sad, "I could've come with you."

"You would have ended up in the bed next to me then... or worse." Louise's words had such finality to them.

"I guess..." Alice surrendered a little. "But Merle isn't just your problem, Lou..."

Louise sighed. She knew she would have this argument with Alice, even before her current encounter with her foe.

"Alice..."

She just kept on trucking... "She may have this vendetta against you, but it doesn't mean you have to fight her alone. Remember Rome..." Alice was clearly on a roll. "We went as a team, and look what we accomplished."

Louise sighed again. Her ordeal at Merle's hands had been brutal, and subconsciously she knew Alice was right, but as she closed her eyes, the one thought that lingered in her mind was:

"_She is my problem... one that it is my duty to solve."_

OOO

Three figures looked over the treetops from the balcony of the White Tower. The two gentlemen flanked the petite central form of Merle Senlurial. Beneath them, the leaves of the Ulthuan forests rippled in the gentle breeze. The robes of the two elves fluttered majestically as they turned to their companion.

"Well..." Prince Tyrion asked; he looked down into Merle's face. Despite the fact that both brothers were at least a foot taller than her, it was obvious to any onlookers that Merle commanded their respect.

Merle did not look up at the elven prince, her eyes focused on something beyond the vision of either man. A sinister smile spread across her lips, and whilst it barely made it past a sneer, she made it look perfectly beautiful.

"I think things will turn out very well..." Merle didn't take her eyes from the rippling leaves as she addressed the prince. "Everything has occurred as I have planned it... and now the pieces are moving into checkmate..."

As the elven princes silently took their leave, Merle lingered at the top of the White Tower. She had lots of things flying around in her expansive mind. Mirani was just one problem; a problem that would soon be taken care of. She removed a letter from her pocket...

Whilst Merle had no objection to assisting her fellow Sues in general; what this anonymously signed letter asked for was a little too much... besides, Merle mused to herself, running a slender hand through her flawless locks, she had Mirani to deal with. Her eyes drifted over the letter; whilst it was not signed, Merle could hardly escape the distinctive mark of the former Librarian...

"Runoa..." Merle murmured, her dislike of the woman's style did not prevent her from allowing her access to her contact list, but this was... Merle swallowed... too much, even for her.

OOO

A/N: Now, I should be up-to-date with all the chaos...


End file.
